The 2025 event featured 752 events and 524 artists, reinforcing the festival’s mission to challenge outdated perceptions of the city and celebrate its role as an inclusive, dynamic city, shaping conversations around culture, politics, and community across the UK.
With themes spanning hope, peace, imagination, regional storytelling, and collaboration in and between communities, curious festivalgoers filled theatres and lecture halls across the city for talks and conversations.
Topics at this year’s festival ranged from memory and food to neurodivergent comedy and the miners’ strike; from the search for Atlantis and Islamic art to Bradford’s musical past and the future of Europe. These were paired with captivating appearances from John Cooper Clarke, Ash Sarkar, Jeremy Corbyn, Reeta Chakrabarti, Lemn Sissay, Robin Ince, and Steph McGovern.
Founder, CEO and Artistic Director, Syima Aslam, said: “I’m thrilled to see Bradford Literature Festival continue to grow, reaching new audiences while deepening our connection with those who return year after year.
“It’s been a joy to welcome such a breadth of artists and audiences from across the UK and around the world, and to see so many children and young people engage with our schools programme and free family days.
“From powerful, timely conversations to moments of inspiration and joy, this year has reaffirmed BLF’s role as one of the UK’s most vital cultural platforms proudly rooted in Bradford, globally connected, and open to the world.”
Bradford Literature Festival is set to return from July 3 to July 12, 2026.
Below are 10 highlights from the festival, including talks, poetry, comedy and dance -
7. Poetry with a Punch!
Akeim Toussaint Buck, an interdisciplinary performer and maker born in Jamaica and raised in England, delivered powerful political poetry and wordplay. | Bradford Literature Festival
8. Poetry with a Punch!
The event, hosted by beatboxer and playwright Testament, also featured through-provoking performances from the likes of Mahogany Browne, Tasneim Zyada, Rakaya Fetuga, and Ralph Dartford. | Bradford Literature Festival
9. The Monstrous Anger of the Guns with Jeremy Corbyn
“I’m very grateful to the Bradford Literature Festival for the space to have this sort of discussion and reach a wider audience,” said the former Labour leader, opening a gripping conversation with Professor Paul Rogers and Jinsella Kennaway on the global arms race and the road to peace. The panel touched on subjects such as rising global tensions, escalating defence spending, and the deep entanglement between education and the arms industry. | Bradford Literature Festival
10. Shadow puppet magic
Sunday transformed the city centre into a wizarding wonderland, as families stepped into a magical realm filled with enchanting face painting, spellbinding storytelling, and walkabout characters. Highlights included special readings by authors Salma Damirji, Mario Ambrosi, and Pauline Brown, as well as themed screenings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Treasure Planet. | Bradford Literature Festival